Goat Allergy and Milk

[WannaBeFarmR]

I have a friend who swears they are extremely allergic to goats themselves but has no issues with drinking goat milk or eating cheese made from goats milk. Why would that be?

I know people with nut allergies can eat food smoked using nut tree wood with no issues.

And people allergic to bees can normally eat honey.

I think it has something to do with fat proteins found only in nuts since the nuts have fatty oils and the bark doesn't, since nuts are a reproductive part of a tree. Maybe the same goes for goats milk? since its made in correlation with reproduction/ kid rearing? Maybe its different proteins then those found in goat dander and saliva, which I would assume causes allergies?

On that note could drinking goat milk improve allergic reactions to the goats themselves?

Just one of those little things bugging me that I would have no idea who to ask other then an online community of well informed goat minded individuals.

 

[lovinglife]

Could be the hair or dander and not what the animal produces. I am allergic to horse dander and ponies, I never understood that one, but I grew up on the back of a horse, allergies and all.

 

[ruminantlover27]

I have a friend who swears they are extremely allergic to goats themselves but has no issues with drinking goat milk or eating cheese made from goats milk. Why would that be?

I know people with nut allergies can eat food smoked using nut tree wood with no issues.

And people allergic to bees can normally eat honey.

I think it has something to do with fat proteins found only in nuts since the nuts have fatty oils and the bark doesn't, since nuts are a reproductive part of a tree. Maybe the same goes for goats milk? since its made in correlation with reproduction/ kid rearing? Maybe its different proteins then those found in goat dander and saliva, which I would assume causes allergies?

On that note could drinking goat milk improve allergic reactions to the goats themselves?

Just one of those little things bugging me that I would have no idea who to ask other then an online community of well informed goat minded individuals.

Ya I think you are correct. Different parts of a tree isolate and concentrate different things. Then the wood getting smoked is a chemical change giving out changed substances.
I am allergic to bees but can put raw honey on my stings and it draws out the venom, and really cuts time off the swelling.
I also used to work professionally as a dog groomer. I had a mild allergy to cats. Really dirty dogs that came in would irritate some people's sinuses. We did not consider ourselves allergic. Really dirty cats for some reason, would generally be a problem for anyone in the room, so that everyone's eyes (even though they swore they weren't allergic to cats) would be very irritated and a lot of my coworkers had to take an benedryl to continue work. Of course, that all cleared up when the cat had been bathed.
I know some are just allergic to dander. Some also are allergic to the saliva. I know people allergic to the saliva but not the dander.
Never heard about drinking goats milk changing allergies to a goat. It might be possible. I did the same thing with bees stinging me, as a bee keeper. I now have a lot less of a reaction, but it does not seem to work for long term- I have to get stung once a year, the more the better. But I know raw grass fed goat milk has been traditionally and is used today to treat a variety of allergies. Cool stuff huh?

 

[Meaghan]

I know this is a bit of an older thread, but I just joined a few weeks ago and thought I'd let you guys know about the whole allergy thing as it was taught when I was in a college class last year. The reason why people are allergic to animals fur is because of a protein found in their saliva. This protein sticks well to dander, which is why people are "allergic" to dander. For your example, goat milk doesn't necessarily contain the protein that makes them have an allergic reaction. As far as nuts goes, it's due to the proteins, not fats. So when you cook on nut wood, you aren't getting the protein in the food as cooking breaks down proteins.

Bees are a totally different allergic reaction. You cannot be allergic to bees without having previously been stung. The venom that a bee injects causes your immune system to produce an antibody to it. In normal people, this only reacts mildly when you are stung again. But in allergic individuals, your immune system goes into overdrive and produces too many histamines, immune cells, etc. which leads to the allergic reaction that people sometimes get during a bee sting. That's also why some people "develop" a bee allergy after years of working with them, and why some people's gets worse and worse with every sting.